The aim of the study was to: 'identify cognitive, behavioural and psychosocial factors associated with successful and maintained quit smoking status after patients received smoking intervention with nurses’ counselling.' Over 1000 participants responded to a questionnaire asking them about nicotine dependence and desire to stop smoking. The participants had all taken part in 'the Japanese smoking cessation therapy, which consists of smoking cessation intervention five times with nurses’ counselling over 12 weeks.'

The authors concluded: 'Our study indicated that having a high self-efficacy to quit smoking was associated with short-term success of quitting smoking in the smoking cessation intervention with nurses’ counselling. Continuing to have a strong desire to smoke at the end of the intervention was a significant predictor of relapse in the abstainers. Our finding suggested the necessity and importance of promotion of self-efficacy and control of postquit craving by appropriate behavioural counselling in the nurses’ intervention.'